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I wanted to thank Ines and Rain Forest Tours for planning a perfect, worry-free vacation. Everything was all planned out for us, including transportation so we were able to enjoy ourselves even more without having to think about anything other than having a great time. All lodges booked were perfect, especially Casa Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula!

Ines knew that I wanted to see birds, especially the Resplendent Quetzal. She recommended that I visit San Gerardo de Dota - a lesser known location for the usual tourist. When I mentioned this location to other guides, their faces lit up; they knew exactly what was waiting for me there. I spent two mornings with Quetzals in San Gerardo and got great views - and photos - of this beautiful bird. To top it off, I saw all of my target birds - plus over 125 new life birds.

I was asked to share my photos, if you are interested in seeing what came from this unforgettable trip, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/mydigitalmind/sets/72157628831785127/

Costa Rica is beautiful and our vacation was unforgettable. I still enjoy reliving it through my photos!

Thanks Arturo for helping our travel agent organize our trip. A couple of small glitches were dealt with quickly. We had a wonderful trip and would love to visit again.

Hi, Arturo.

We got home yesterday from Costa Rica. Thank you very much for the arrangements you made on our behalf. The rafting trip was excellent; both the river and the resort were fantastic. The bungalow in Puerto Viejo was lovely and the jaguar sanctuary was a pleasure, though they haven't had a jaguar there since the first few days of their existence. All the drivers were good, courteous, prompt, with good vehicles.

Thanks again for helping make our trip quite memorable.

Sincerely,

and

Dear Arturo,

I just realized that I never did reply to your earlier e-mail. My deepest apologies for not writing sooner.

We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica, and we appreciate all your work on arranging such a great trip on short notice. The water was indeed a comfortable temperature to swim in, and the weather (although quite rainy) generally cooperated when we needed it to. The people were very friendly, and I was able to use quite a bit of my spanish since they generally speak relatively slowly and with little accent.

I've attached a few pictures. All in all, it was a great experience, and everything went smoothly!

Thank you!!!

Hello Arturo!

I was planning on e-mailing Ines this week to thank her for putting together an unforgettable trip! I also knew about the guest book. I will certainly recommend your company - it was so relaxing to have everything planned out and to not have to worry about transportation, etc. I will be sure to put together a good review based on a bird watcher's perspective because I know that is what I was looking for when I read reviews.

Ines knew that I wanted to see birds and, even though we booked last minute for the high season, she sent us to all the right places. I am so happy that she recommended San Gerardo de Dota to me. When I mentioned this location to other guides, their eyes lit up - they knew what was waiting for me there! I had two great mornings spent with the Resplendent Quetzals in that location - the bird that started this entire trip for me!! What a beautiful time it was!!!

mydigitalmind.com | Flickr

Hi Ines,

I just want to thank you for a wonderful time in Costa Rica. All of the arrangements you made for us worked out perfectly.

Everyone was so helpful and the tours were very good. The places we stayed were each so interesting and memorable.

Thank you for your help!

We are all one in spirit, regardless of our form

Arturo:

Thank you for the email and also thank you for arranging the trip to CR for me. I had a great time! All went as planned and, aside from a couple of Tico Time incidents, everything happened like clockwork. I was very impressed by Interbus and Nature Air.

I really enjoyed my time at the Jewel of the Jungle. Madeline is a great character. While I was there I met an English woman who, like me, was hiking toward the beach on Magdalena Rd. She is a volunteer at the Jaguar Rescue south of Cocles on the coast highway. I talked Madeline into visiting the facility with me the next day and we had a great time. It is an activity you might wish to recommend to anyone you send to this area in the future.

Tortuguero was wonderful. The weather was perfect while I was there and the guide I was assigned to, Conrad, really knows his birds and wildlife. Kayaking there was the best I have ever experienced, in terms of scenery and wildlife.

Drake Bay did not disappoint. The family that runs the resort were very nice to me and the food and accommodations were excellent. I really enjoyed the trip to the Corcovado. I did the hike in the vicinity of the Sarina Ranger Station. Our guide, Manuel, was great and I got some good shots through his spotting scope.

The Scuba trip to Cano Island was a bit disappointing and more than a little disconcerting. First, and this is nobody's fault, I got seasick on the ride out to the island, which often happens when I am on a very small boat in some chop. Second, the Dive crew did not have a wet suit that was big enough for me and I had serious suit squeeze, which upped my air consumption. Third, the ladder for the boat was totally inadequate for a guy my size wearing 18 kilos of lead. It was flimsy and too short and there was no safety line. I was in real danger when, as instructed by the boatman, I took off my fins and BC and was struggling to get my foot up onto the bottom step of the ladder, which was just a few inches below the surface of the water. It would have been an effort even without the weight belt. Given all of that, I have to say that what bottom time I did get in was pretty nice. I saw some of the best purple fan coral I have ever seen. However, I decided that I had seen enough and did not wish to endure the trip and risks for the second day of diving. Instead, I hiked up the coast into the village.

My visit to the Arenal area was very nice. The lodge was fine and the staff there did a great job, especially Fatima, with whom I dealt with most of the time. I enjoyed the town of Fortuna and the Nene's restaurant there. Both nights while I was in town, I really liked hearing the band practicing at the High School for the Christmas Pageant. The Rio La Fortuna Waterfall hike was great and it was really roaring, given all of the rain that preceded my visit. I also have to admit that I had way more fun than I expected doing the Zip Lines. They were really professional and I felt very safe too.

As you may have noticed, I have not yet mentioned rafting. That is because I have saved the best for last. My favorite adventures in CR was the Whitewater Rafting. The water level at the Rio Toro was too high for safety so we went to the Rio Balsa, which is reported to be a class II and III river, but take my word, it was kicking. I did both the Rio Paquari and the Rio Balsa on the first day that each were opened after being closed for several days for high water. Both operators provided excellent service and gave me all the thrills I could have wished for.

Thanks again for your help arranging my vacation and for your wise council on the locations and schedule for my stops on my trip. I have already recommended your services to many I have spoken to who might be interested in traveling to CR. I will be in touch with you again soon concerning a potential trip back to CR to see, amongst other areas, Guanacaste and Monteverde. I might also be interested in visiting the Boca Del Toro in Panama. Do you cover that area as well?

I have attached a couple of Photos for your guest book and journal.

Regards;

Hi Arturo!

I really appreciate your help. Thanks so much. It's difficult to drive if your car is inland & you're on the coast!!! What a dilemma!! I wish so badly I would've known about your company prior to planning this trip. I am so impressed with how nice & helpful everyone is. I will certainly use your company for everything next time. It sure would save me a lot of work & being in Costa Rica you would've been better able to help me.

Again my thanks. I'm looking so much forward to our trip!!

.

Ines

Thank you so much for your assistance. Jim and I went on the Tour to Tortuga Island and the Tortuguero 1 Day, you booked them for us and we had the best, best time. Especially the tour to Tortuga Island. Both tours were just fantastic. In fact our whole trip to Costa Rica was very special. We met some of the greatest people, Ticans and Americans. We'll be back!!! Sorry to say, we have to go home tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your assistance again, I will definitely recommend you....

Have a great day!